“You ed it up real good!” Shownu yells out from beneath the car’s engine. He rolls out from underneath and gives his customer a glare. “I just fixed her last month y’know.”

 

Wonho merely gives him a cheeky grin and shrugs. “C’mon man. I took Selena for a drive and then she just started sounding weird. That’s why i brought her here.”

 

The mechanic scoffs, wiping the sweat off his brow with a towel. He stands up and walks over to the lone chair in the corner. His garage is a mess; full with the motorcycles on display and Wonho’s black Cadillac. His equipment has been thrown everywhere and the mechanic starts to place them back where they belong.

 

“No can do,”he answers Wonho, “ I don’t have the parts you need. And I still think Selena is a bad name for her.”

 

“Fine!” The infuriated customer exclaims, “I’ll go somewhere else.”

 

Shownu dunks down half of his water bottle and undoes the buttons on his overalls. He has the sleeves tied loosely around his waist and his shoulders bared by the dirtied white wife beater. Wonho on the other hand, is pristine clean, with a tailored navy blue suit on and a suitcase.

 

“I can fix it,” Shownu says just as Wonho is walking out. “But you gotta quit racing.”

 

The second Wonho feigns a look of innocence, is the same moment Shownu throws a dirty rag at his face. Wonho splutters and throws the thing away, looking offended. He attempts to say something, but Shownu is already waving a hand over his shoulder. He hunches over the engine once more, eyes scanning over every part.

 

“I know what you’ve been doing,”Shownu says, “Hyungwon told me. So you better quit that ‘young and rich’ life before you can’t.”

 

“Get it fixed by Tuesday,”Wonho replies with a sigh. “I’ve got a date with a girl.”

 

Shownu up an eyebrow at Wonho’s defiant tone. The other cheekily smiles. “Please?”

 

“Yeah, now scram.”is the last thing Shownu tells his regular customer before he closes shop.

 

It’s almost the end of the day; well, 2pm is always the end of the day for Wednesdays. He never works for longer than that since he doesn’t get customers at this time.Mokpo is one of the ghetto areas of Korea but it’s the only place that the humble businessman can afford. He’d been intimidated by local gangsters and the occasional loanshark.A few phone calls and a fistfight changed this however, and it was clear that Shownu was a man to be respected.

 

So when he suddenly hears a young woman’s voice call out Mr Shownu in a high-pitched voice, no one can blame him for walking out with a grumpy look on his face. The woman standing at the front of his shop is dressed in pastel blue, with a blown-out skirt that reaches her knees. Shownu immediately realizes that the sweet scent is coming from her but doesn’t smell anything like any expensive perfumes he knows.

 

“Hi, I’m your new neighbour.” The young woman starts off, both hands held behind her back. “I just wanted to come say hi.”

 

Shownu then recalls the huge moving truck that had come in that morning, which had disturbed his sleep. He immediately opens his mouth to complain, but the nervous look on the petite woman makes him stop. He can’t help but tease though.

 

“You said hi twice,” Shownu answers, “Hello. Konichiwa.”

The mechanic meant it as a joke but...maybe his sense of humor was screwed up. The young woman manages a thin smile and a fake laugh.

 

“Well, these are for you,”She says, ing out a bunch of daisies tied up with a loose string. “I’m the owner of the flower shop. So uh, if you’ve got any customers, maybe you could talk them into coming by? Maybe buy some roses for their wives or girlfriends?”

 

The gift catches Shownu off guard but he slowly takes it. He tries to recall the last time he ever got a gift from a girl. Well, never. Even his ex girlfriends didn’t get him .

 

“Th-thanks.” Shownu murmurs and he inwardly curses at himself for stuttering. “I’ll put ‘em somewhere.”

 

Out of habit, Shownu gets out a cigarette and lighter. Anxiety forces him to smoke but once he manages to light up the end of the cigarette already in between his mouth, the cigarette suddenly flies out of his grasp. It takes a total of three seconds for the mechanic to realise that the petite woman had flicked it off with her manicured nails. She walks over and stomps out the flame with the tip of her red high heels. Shownu can only blink.

 

“No smoking,” The young woman says, flicking her finger on Shownu’s nose. “Especially in this corridor. Go inside your shop  to smoke if you need to. I can’t have my flowers smell like cigarettes.”

 

With that, she spins on her heel and walks away. Shownu stares at the remnants of his cigarette on the ground, because that was the last one. The mechanic sticks the daisies into a half filled plastic water bottle on his desk. He locks up with a frown then gets in his car. He has a family dinner to get to.

 

The mechanic tries not to peek out of his car, to see what the prim and proper florist was up to. But he does, and easily spots her bending down to water her flowers. Her hazel eyes are almost doe-like.There are brown streaks in her long black wavy hair that shone in the sunlight. The polka-dot white and red dress makes her look like Minnie Mouse. And Shownu thinks that maybe he could try to be Mickey Mouse instead.

 

Because the young man had never been so enamored with a woman in his entire life.

 

⟷

 

Time passes rather quickly between the florist and the mechanic. Shownu’s new neighbour is also a humble business woman trying to earn a living; she rarely sits down and tends to her flowers and plants 24/7. Though, there are times when Shownu hears her singing through the thin walls that separate them. So he turns down the radio and sits with his ear pressed against the wall just to hear her sing. The young florist has a pleasant voice that helps soothe his nerves. Even better, the mechanic has sacrificed his smoke breaks to listen to her singing.

 

However, Shownu realizes that the only way to get her attention is for him to approach her. Now, that wasn’t a huge problem. He could go say hi and tell her that he’d bought a vase specially for the daisies he brought her. He watered them everyday and put them at the front of his store so there’d be enough warmth and sunlight. But...that wasn’t a very appealing approach at all.

 

Shownu realizes that at age twenty-five, he still hasn’t learnt how to sweep a lady off her feet.

 

At least ask her for her name, Wonho had said when he came over to check up on beautiful Selena. Yet, in between taking care of customers and working on the cadillac, Shownu had no time to walk up to his neighbour to ask. That, and the fact that he had spent hours walking back and forth trying to quell down his anxiety and postponing his approaches altogether.

 

The first attempt is somewhat successful. Shownu walked over to the flower shop and waved to the young woman. She opened the door for him and Shownu half- wondered how she could afford air-conditioning. He had brought take-out fried chicken for her and offered her the package.

 

“You haven’t eaten lunch right?” He asks as the young woman takes the package.

 

She offers him a wide smile and it makes Shownu think that it was worth every penny buying the food for the florist. She lets him in and faintly notices the cologne that Shownu had put on. He had also put on a shirt for the first time, clean shoes and the usual overalls were nowhere to be seen.

 

“Are you going on a date?” She casually drops the question, half-laughing as she places the food on the cashier counter. “You look nice today.”

 

Shownu thanks his stars that the florist’s back is him so that she doesn’t see how flustered he got. He almost stutters out his words but in the end says, “Nah, just wanted to look nice once in awhile right?”

 

She nods in return. “Ah, I see. Well, thank you for the food. How’s business going so far?”
 

“Good,”Shownu lies. His rent is overdue by a month for the first time since he’s stuck his head out to get parts for Wonho’s car. He has his savings to cover it but the mechanic is keenly aware that he will have to start turning in profit in the next few months before he goes bankrupt.

 

“How about you?”He asks, sitting down on a nearby stool. The florist stands across from him, half leaning on the wall where a display of roses were hung up.

 

She shook her head. “Other than friends and family coming over… static.”

 

Shownu frowns at her saddened tone. “Well,I don’t think this is the best location to be honest. Maybe you should move?”

 

“I can’t,”The florist shook her head. “I spent a lot of my revenue on this shop. And paid the rent for three months in advance. I can’t afford to move now.”

 

Shownu’s frown deepens but the girl doesn’t let the disappointment get to her. “That’s alright I think. I just need to think of another strategy. If my customers don’t come to me, I’ll go over to them.”

 

Shownu didn’t have a clue of what the florist meant by those words but nodded to everything she said. Almost like a fool.

 

“What brings you here though?”She asks as she turns her gaze to him. “Why all of a sudden?”

 

“Oh well it’s Wednesday and I usually close shop early,”He starts off. The mechanic clears his throat. “Maybe we could go out some time? I mean it doesn’t have to be today but any other day is fine too.”

 

Realization dawns upon the florist and she deftly shakes her head. “I...I’m so sorry Shownu. I’m not particularly interested in dating right now.”

 

Shownu nods and tries hard not to look disappointed. He refuses to hang his head in defeat and instead, manages an honest smile for her.

 

“I never got your name,”Shownu says, “I wanted to ask you but you’re always busy.”

 

He lightly laughs at the end of the sentence and the florist joins in as well. She feels grateful that the mechanic understands and as of now, has respected her distance. A decent man. How nice.

 

“Moonbyul,”She answers, ing her hand forward for a handshake. “Proud owner of Petite Flowers.”

 

“Shownu,”The mechanic echoes in return, taking her hand and shaking it as well. “Proud owner of Park Brothers Auto Garage.”

 

Shownu leaves with a new bouquet this time; a bunch of white clovers and pink carnations. Moonbyul had picked them out herself with her handy pair of shears and a keen eye. Shownu had watched amusedly how she hummed to an absent-minded tune and noticed the twirl in her step. She handed him the bouquet for free, in return for the free food.

 

Shownu left the bouquet in the empty vase in his garage. The daisies had died out but Moonbyul explained that cut flowers usually last about 1 week or so. Shownu had been disappointed when the yellow daisies started to wilt and had stared at them for hours, attempting to will them back to life.

 

The florist had carried most of their conversation, sharing excitedly about her personal life. She opened up to him easier than he expected and Shownu decided that all she needed was a listening ear. He couldn’t stop his smile from faltering when Moonbyul showed him a photo of her baby; an eleven year old girl with chubby, pink cheeks and her mother’s long curly hair. It was rude of him to frown so Shownu managed a comment or two about how cute the mother and daughter pair were.

 

Well, at least he had a new bouquet. And as long as he could see the smile on Moonbyul’s face, Shownu didn’t mind his love life to last as long as fresh cut flowers did.

⟷

 

The young mechanic was busying himself around his workshop when the florist came by. He had a lot of work to be done; he’d managed to sell 3 motorcycles to a motorbike gang who were passing by town. He was to get them ready by that afternoon, polished and ready for the road. So it was inconvenient for the florist to come by with a packed lunch.

 

“I cooked for you, in case you haven’t eaten yet?” She said as she walked into the garage. She stood in front of the car, looking for the mechanic who was nowhere to be seen.

 

Moonbyul jumped slightly when Shownu suddenly rolled out from underneath the car. It was a family six-seater, in need of urgent part replacements. So the mechanic was working his off, that he hadn’t noticed the time. Neither did he notice the stain of grease that had turned the tip of his nose an ash black.

The florist giggled. “You look funny.” She then squatted down and with a handkerchief, started to rub the black spot away from Shownu’s nose. Shownu lets her do as she pleased, scrunching his nose in a way that made Moonbyul laugh even more.

 

“You didn’t have to…”The mechanic trailed off but the delicious smell of home-cooked food was tempting.

 

Moonbyul pulled him out by the collar, exclaiming. “Go wash your hands. Get them clean before you eat. Now go. Shoo shoo.”

 

Before he knew it, the florist had already settled onto his only worktable. She cleared a space for them to eat, and inside, Shownu realized that she had packed a variety of food. Fried rice, omelettes and some fried chicken for two.

 

Once they settled down to eat, Shownu attempted to make small talk. He failed terribly.

 

“How is Hani? She’s at school now right?”

 

Moonbyul sighed heavily and shook her head. “She jumped off the monkey bars yesterday and almost broke her leg.”

 

Shownu’s eyes widened. “Did you bring her to the hospital? Is she okay?”

 

“Yes, she only sprained her ankle.” Moonbyul answered, picking at pieces of her omelette. “I just don’t understand why she did it.”

 

Shownu watched her exasperated reaction and grew concerned, even as he stuffed a spoonful of rice into his mouth. “Well...why didn’t you ask her?”

 

Moonbyul frowned and swatted his arm. “Don’t talk while you’re eating and yes, I did ask her. It’s just...her friends dared her to jump so she did.”

 

It was Shownu’s turn to frown. “Stupid friends. Well, can’t blame them they’re children. All kids are stupid.”

 

Moonbyul swatted his arm once more, but ended up laughing lightly. “You’re a horrible adult to be saying those kind of things. I just don’t get why she only befriends the boys...that’s all.”

 

There was a pregnant pause in between them, filled with sounds of Shownu munching down the rest of his meal. He couldn’t remember the last time he ate; maybe it was yesterday’s breakfast? Though, when he was done, he laid a comforting hand on Moonbyul’s shoulder.

 

“Hey, maybe she’s more comfortable with boys,”Shownu points out, “And if that’s the way she likes it, let her be. She’s a kid trying to figure out why she likes and doesn’t.”

 

Moonbyul set her chopsticks down and folded her arms. Her red lips form into a pout and Shownu can’t help but chuckle as she starts off ranting once more. “I make her nice dresses and she covers them in mud. I get her books to read but she wants to play outside. So,  I let her play outside and she very nearly breaks her leg. Does this even make sense?!”

 

“Nearly,” Shownu echoes. “Is this why you closed up early yesterday?”

 

“Yes!”Moonbyul exclaims, throwing her arms in the air exasperatedly. She stands up now and this time, Shownu leans back into the chair waiting for her theatrics to begin. He hears her speak as she paces back and forth, her expressions changing from shock and frustration to near anger in seconds. However, Shownu doesn’t listen. He only sees how her plush lips move and how her dark blue skirt flounces about her curvy figure. In particular, the way her s bounces up and down each time she moves a little quicker.

 

But everything yanks Shownu down to the ground once he remembers that Moonbyul is a mother and a wife to a lucky man. Shownu is a man of morals. And he mentally slapped himself for allowing such thoughts.

 

“Look,”The mechanic starts off, taking her hand instinctively to grab her attention. “Like I said, she’s trying to find herself. She’s trying to figure out what she likes and what she hates. Who she is and who she wants to be. You cannot force her to be just like you, for you to understand her.”

 

At his last words, Moonbyul attempts to argue and splutters out words that can’t form a coherent sentence. Shownu puts a finger on her lips and shakes his head.

 

“That’s exactly what you want her to do, to be like you. And that isn’t fair to a seven year-old girl.”Shownu says in the most gentle way he can.

 

Shownu’s older brothers are married and have children of their own, so he has served his role as uncle to help raise them when the children were younger. One of the boys turned out to be a transgender child and Shownu had never seen his brother and his wife so proud of their new eldest daughter before. Though, he can’t say that he will be the best father, he could only give Moonbyul his opinion.

 

“Then what do you suggest I do?” Moonbyul asks, sounding helpless.

 

“First off, take her shopping.”Shownu says confidently. “Let her choose what she wants to wear. Even if it’s in the boy’s section. I’m not saying that you have to treat her like a boy or a girl, or both or neither.”

 

Moonbyul looks like a deer stranded in streetlights. Shownu takes her hands confidently in his and squeezes comfortingly.

 

“I’m saying to let her choose what she wants and once she grows up and she knows herself better.” He takes a deep breath. “She’ll figure it out on her own and be the most happiest child in the world.”

 

There’s a pause and there’s tears b under Moonbyul’s hazel eyes. She tries to blink them away and one of them escapes, running down her cheek. Shownu wipes one off with his thumb and brings it to his mouth. Moonbyul’s expression immediately changes to one of shock. Shownu doesn’t know what he’s doing at all.

 

He immediately steps away from the young married woman with a daughter. Shownu reminds himself that for the nth time that day.

 

“You can do it,”He finishes off saying. “I believe in you.”

 

Moonbyul closes the gap between them to envelope the taller man in a hug. Shownu doesn’t know where to put his hands or how he should respond. But the young florist has made up her mind.

 

“I want you to come to see her. Could you join us for dinner?” Moonbyul innocently asks.

 

Shownu can’t find the words to say no to the most beautiful woman in his life. Even if it meant meeting the luckiest man in the world to be Moonbyul’s husband and Hani’s father.

 

⟷

Shownu learns new things about Moonbyul with each and every day that passes. Her husband is a famous journalist whom Moonbyul doesn’t get to see often. Business trips have become one of the things that she hated the most. When the florist expresses how much she misses him, Shownu can only smile and say comfortingly, “he’ll come home soon.” Hani on the other hand is Moonbyul’s only daughter and her most precious little flower, the florist had said.

 

His original suggestion had worked the last time Moonbyul had spoken to him about her precious daughter. Hani had chosen to buy a few long-sleeved plain t-shirts and cargo pants. Out with the frilly dresses and in with the band tees. Moonbyul had never seen her daughter smile so wide in such a long time.

 

It takes the young mechanic three minutes of controlled breathing exercises to finally walk up to the front door of the Mi’s. He presses the door bell, holding in her breath. He hopes to god that Mr Mi hasn’t taken a sudden holiday to be present for the dinner. Young Hani is the one to open up the door.

 

Hani looks surprised when she finally meets eyes with Shownu. Shownu wears the same expression as well. For a few seconds, both adult and child marvel at each other. Shownu immediately grows fond of the young girl with her curly hair tied into pigtails and hazel eyes that matches her mother’s. He spots the mole under her eye; a feature that Moonbyul had said tied Hani to her father. Hani on the other hand, is surprised at how tall the older man towered over her like a giant. He had a gentle smile on his face and didn’t look as fierce as she thought mechanics would be.

 

Shownu squats down to her height. “You must be Mi Hani.”
 

Hani nods, eyes wide like a doe in headlights. Shownu can’t help but chuckle and presents a box to her. It had been messily wrapped, last minute. However, he knew that the child would love the gift.

 

“Thanks,” Hani murmurs, taking the gift and immediately starts shaking it close to her ear.

 

Shownu pats her on the head. “You’ll love it. Trust me.”

 

Before Hani can open the gift, it gets snatched up by her mother. Moonbyul sets it aside and welcomes her guest. “You shouldn’t have. She’s got a lot of new things recently.”
 

Shownu chuckles along with the young mother, knowing exactly what she was referring to. Hani looks up between both adults and frowns. “B-but I didn’t ask for so much.”

 

Moonbyul places a kiss on the top of Hani’s head. “But I love you that much.”

 

Shownu is then ushered into their warm home; a small house that held a warm and cozy aura. Moonbyul had cooked a feast fit for a king and it fills up the mechanic’s stomach in no time. Shownu then showed off his talents of burping the alphabet, making Hani laugh too hard she almost tears up. Moonbyul is scowling and swats her guest on the arm, but can’t resist joining in the laughter that has begun to warm up a once empty home. Her two favourite people in the world are here by her side and that was what mattered the most.

 

Once dinner is done, Moonbyul goes into the kitchen and clears the dishes. She promises to bring dessert; brownies and chocolate ice-cream. Shownu is left behind with the young girl who is excitedly tearing apart her gift box.

 

Shownu is satisfied at the amazement that shines through Hani’s eyes. “It’s not even out yet-”

 

The ten-year old is rendered speechless. Her gift was a set of comics dedicated to different female heroines amongst them were Scarlet Witch, Black Widow, and the Wasp. Shownu leans in as the girl excitedly begins to flip through the pages with her small hands.

 

Shownu’s brother is the owner of the only comic store in their town. So when he got a call saying that they had a young intruder who stole some of the merchandise, Shownu had immediately requested to rewatch the videotape. It was his way of doing his brother a favour; handling troublemakers was always his specialty. Shownu had convinced him to let off the young one and in return paid for what had been stolen.

 

“My brother owns a comic book shop,”Shownu murmurs low, eyes glacing at Moonbyul who was still busying herself in the kitchen. “So if you want any more comic books I can always ask him to let you borrow them.”

 

Hani’s fingers stop flipping through the pages and she smiles at the older man cheekily.

 

“Only if you promise not to steal again,” Shownu taps his finger on her nose.

 

Hani’s worried expression almost makes Shownu burst into laughter. She pleads softly, trying not to attract her mother’s attention. “Don’t tell my mom please.I swear I won’t steal again.”

 

“Never?” Shownu asks.

 

Hani shakes her head profusely. “Never ever.”

 

Moonbyul comes back with dessert in hand and Shownu acts as if nothing had happened at all. The florist switches on the television so that her daughter can watch her cartoons before she goes to sleep. She tugs Shownu by the hem of his sleeve, leading him out of the living room. Shownu follows her step.

 

“Thank you for coming again. And the gifts.” She says, leading him down the hallway. Shownu can’t begin to describe how beautiful it is when her eyes twinkled. “It was very thoughtful of you.”

 

“No problem,” Shownu shakes his head. “Thank you for the dinner. Everything tasted so good.”

 

Moonbyul’s laugh lights up the hallway a little brighter suddenly and Shownu stops in his tracks, dazed. The young woman opens a door into a room, ushering him to come in with a hand. What Shownu sees before him was never something that he expected.

 

There was a picture of a young man in the middle of the room. Candles were lit in every corner, substituting any man made source of light, giving it a peaceful aura. Shownu recognizes the offerings that had been spread out on the table. The curtains were closed. Realization clicks into place, like pieces of a puzzle.

 

Moonbyul starts to explain. “Shownu, this is my husband Minhyuk. As I told you before…”She trails off, fixing one of the candles into place. “He was a reporter. He was shot in the battlefield at the Syrian rebel war. He was working but he had been at the wrong place, at the wrong time.”

 

Shownu hates how Moonbyul shatters piece by piece, falling apart. It looks almost like a slow unravelling of a truth that Moonbyul had hidden for months. The tears began to fall and Shownu immediately grabs her by the waist, strong arms enveloping her. He tries his best to soothe her pain, with hushes of comfort and his hand brushing through her long wavy hair.Moonbyul finds warmth, comfort and solace in the arms of a man other than her deceased husband, in a long time.  

 

“Hani was only four when he died,”Moonbyul says through broken sobs. Her eyes red to match the tip of her nose. “She doesn’t remember him. But I did. I remember him everyday of my life.”

 

Shownu doesn’t know what to say. But he knows to stay silent and let Moonbyul pour out the sorrow in her heart, that had been sealed away for too long. He grabs the tissue box and offers a few pieces to Moonbyul.

 

“He said that being a news reporter was his calling,” Moonbyul continued, tissues in hand wiping away all of her tears. “So I let him go. Even though he almost never called. He was rarely home. And I even delivered my baby myself in the hospital. He wasn’t even there.”

 

Moonbyul picks up the portrait picture of Mi Minhyuk and hugs it to her chest. Her tears continue to stream down her cheeks, as if the dam had finally collapsed. Shownu guided her to sit down on one of the longue chairs. He held an arm over her shoulders, strong and comforting.

 

“But I don’t blame him. I love him with all my heart, unconditionally.” Moonbyul says. She takes a deep breath. “They told me he died to save a child. He took the bullet instead. And that’s all that matters.”

 

“The love of my life died a hero,” She says finally. “So when his story was cut short, I think he sent you to meet me.”

 

Moonbyul finally turns to meet Shownu’s eyes, with her own teary hazel ones. “That shop...was actually Minhyuk’s. He bought it for me before he died.  He knew he wanted me to open up my own flower shop, so he saved every penny he had. And for years, I never acted on it because I missed him so much. ”

 

After a pause, Moonbyul adds. “ Reporters...aren’t paid very well so I think he suffered for awhile.”

 

“Neither is a mechanic,” Shownu says with a small smile. It incites a smile from Moonbyul as well.

 

Then, Shownu gets up and walks over to the small shrine that Moonbyul had built dedicated to her deceased husband. He stares at the portrait of Mi Minhyuk for awhile, a thousand thoughts running in his head. Then Shownu gets on his knees and performs the ceremonial bow. Once. Twice. Thrice. Moonbyul closes her eyes and says a prayer quietly under her breath.

 

“Thank you for taking care of Moonbyul,” Shownu began to say, “Even when you’re no longer here. So, I promise you, man to man, that I will protect her with my life. So don’t worry and rest well.”

 

Moonbyul sees one tear escaping the corner of Shownu’s eye. The mechanic thinks she doesn’t notice.

 

It’s close to eleven pm when Shownu decides to retire for the night. They’ve tucked Hani into bed in her room; she’d fallen asleep with chocolate ice-cream stains all over in front of the television. Shownu takes Moonbyul’s hands in his and gently squeezes them. The young woman manages a thin smile.

 

“Thank you for letting me in your life like this,”Shownu starts saying, “I appreciate everything that you’ve told me and everything that you’ve done.”
 

Moonbyul is flustered. “I’m supposed to say that! You’ve done so much for me and I don’t know how to repay you.”

 

Shownu leans in too close, closing the gap in between their lips. Moonbyul can only hear the pounding of her heartbeat in her ears, drowning out everything else. The memories between both the young man and woman flash through their minds. Moonbyul’s heart is ready.

Shownu steps away, and lifts his lips to kiss the top of Moonbyul’s head.
 

“Thank you for tonight. I’ll see you on Monday okay?” 

 

Moonbyul is stunned. Shownu leaves without another word.